Gamer Spotlight – Paula Tacos

September 18th, 2015

Our latest gamer spotlight is... Paula Tacos! I've been watching her streams for a while wanted to have her featured as a spotlight! I can't wait to see what games she will be creating in the future after she finishes up school & I can see Paula making a great impact on the gaming industry.

Check out the interview with Paula & be sure to give her a follow on Twitch!

GH: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

PT: I've been a gamer all my life! I'd love to make video games in the future which is why I'm currently in school for game design. I'm also vegan, which people seem to be completely thrown by. I have a pretty massive crush on Garrus from Mass Effect and my favorite food if you hadn't guessed is tacos!

GH: What passions do you have besides gaming?
PT: Streaming of course! It's become my favorite hobby, I think about it constantly. On a more serious note, I'm also really passionate about people and animals being treated better. I think it's pretty messed up that things like racism, homophobia, transphobia, and speciesism still exist. Can't we all just get along! I also really like reading comic books and bad teen fantasy novels.

GH: What game got you started in gaming and what is one of your favorite games to play?

PT: Growing up, I mostly just played Nintendo games. The first game I ever 100% was Donkey Kong 64! But I'll never forget my first shooter and the game that changed me from a casual gamer into a hardcore gamer: Halo 3. Ignoring the fact the phrase "hardcore gamer" sounds completely obnoxious, Halo 3 was the first game I got after getting an Xbox 360 and it was love at first sight. I was horrible at it and my k/d averaged around 1-24 for a while, but I got better and learned to love playing games online. It made me want to try more games and the next few I played are some that are still near and dear to my heart. Thinking back these games still hold up and I may have been lucky to get into video games during a golden age. Then again, that may be nostalgia goggles... So after Halo 3 I got Assassin's Creed which pretty much solidified my future as a gamer. I. Felt. So. COOLl! After than it was The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, then the first Bioshock, followed by Left 4 Dead. It was like discovering a whole new world. Before this, the only RPG I'd played was Kingdom Hearts. I couldn't believe there was this whole other side to gaming I'd never touched! These games will always be some of my favorites but my favorite game ever will always be Donkey Kong 64.

GH: Any upcoming projects or projects you are currently involved in?

PT: I actually just finished a pretty big charity event last month. It was my first 24 hour stream. I streamed all 24 hours of my birthday. It was my 24th birthday too, but that's just a coincidence. We ended up raising over $1000 for extra life, which is insane and something I never thought we'd be capable of. 'We' being the taco fam of course, because they're the one's that made it happen. I've got a few other big things currently in the works, but I'm not allowed to talk about them yet!

GH: What's your highest gaming accomplishment?

PT: Hmm I have a few. I remember feeling like quite a bad ass when I got every achievement in Assassin's Creed 2. Also beating the Devil May Cry games felt really good! But I have to go with the first time I 101% DK64, because as a kid that took me an entire summer.

GH: Do you have any role models you look up to?

PT: In the streaming world, I would say the streamers that inspired me to start streaming. Some of those would be lolRenaynay, KittyPlaysGames, Tortoise Helmet, Hafu and so many of the friends I met way back in the day when we were all starting out channels.

GH: Just for fun, if you could become a video game character – What powers/characteristics would you want to have and what type of game?

PT: I'd want to be in some sort of post apocalyptic game and have the power to be invisible. I think being invisible is probably the worst survival power you could have, but doesn't it just seem cool?

GH: How do you view the gaming industry? Especially for upcoming girls who are just starting out or want to get involved in the gaming community.

PT: It's hard. Being female is hard and being black just puts another whammy on me. Recently when I was at PAX dev, a former EA developer told me I was a unicorn and to try to use that as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. I guess something like, "Hey if you hire me, you fill your girl quota and your minority quota! Two birds one stone, am I right?!" I think girls should just focus on being the best at whatever they do and not get discouraged. A lot of times the gaming industry is more about who you know, so also be sure to network whenever possible.

GH: How can we stay connected with you?

PT: Twitter is the best way! My handle is @PaulaTacos. I also have a YouTube and an Instagram. My username everywhere is PaulaTacos, so it's easy.

Lastly, any advice you'd like to share for upcoming YouTubers/streamers/people trying to get involved in the gaming industry/etc.?

PT: My answer to this question is always the same: network. I hate that word because it makes it sound like the connections you make on twitch are disingenuous, but it's truly the best way to grow your community. I guess a better way of putting it is to make a lot of friends. Don't be shy and focus on supporting other content creators. You'll be surprised how much of that support comes back to you. If you take a genuine interest in someone's stream, chances are they'll do the same for you. So ya, make friends! If you stay in your own little bubble, you're probably not going to have as much fun and it'll be much harder for your channel to grow.

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Be sure to check out Paula’s networks to see her latest updates & what she is up too! Stay toon next week for another featured spotlight ♥

Lori Garcia is a graphic/web designer and illustrator from Austin, TX. She loves making illustrations, playing video games & taking her digital camera around. Follow her @GirlHeroLori! If you have any questions/comments, please feel free to contact me!